V-10 spark plugs

[mopargilley]

How many have had sparkplugs blow out! what year engines?

[wyo700]

This is a very common problem with not only the v10 but also the 5.4. So common that I worked with the guy that invented the tool to repair the blown out hole without having to remove the head. He patented it sold it to ford and many on the major tool brands. It's a very common problem.

[mopargilley]

My wife actually works for lock and stitch, the guy who invented the repair kit. wanted to know how many have had the problem.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by mopargilley

How many have had sparkplugs blow out! what year engines?

I have not heard anyone mention they that they had a spark plug blow out in their Ford V-10's. I have rea dthis happens in pre 2004 engines but not the newer ones we have.
Curious why are you asking that here?

[dezolen]

Old stories never die. This was a problem many years ago.
Honda minivan transmissions blow up too.

[Rolling buckeye]

I had a 99 f350, it blew 3 different spk plugs,over a 1-2 yr period,it had about 150000 mi when the first one went.

But my father had a 2000 that never had this prob,he now has an 04,which has not ether.
So IMHO,this is prob not an issue anymore.

[Len & Cheri]

2000 and 2006 F150 with no problems. I've know plenty of people with these engines and never had a problem.

A true common problem is in the 2004-200? 5.4 that the end of the spark plug would get stuck in the head.

[ses]

I had a 99 f450 (company truck ) that blew 1 out. It had 200,000 miles when it went . That was the only one it blew, had 250,000 when I left.

[Rolling buckeye]

When mine went,I rember how much fun it was to repair. I'm not sure if there was a particular repair kit at that time,we had to tap,n use a swedged sleeve,ie.threded in to new size,then a bulbous punch,that when hit with ball pine hammer,it drove 4 little teeth in to the head wall. This was most fun on the two that were at rear of motor.all three trks I mentioned above were 6.8 ltr. Great motor though.

[lswartz]

Originally Posted by Rolling buckeye

I had a 99 f350, it blew 3 different spk plugs,over a 1-2 yr period,it had about 150000 mi when the first one went.

But my father had a 2000 that never had this prob,he now has an 04,which has not ether.
So IMHO,this is prob not an issue anymore.

I had a 1999 Ford van with the V10 too, & it was fixed the next model year. There just wasn't enough threads to hold the plugs in plus, having the correct torque was absolutely critical. There was a Ford Truck Enthusiast (Ford FTE) forum with a section dedicated to the V10. While it is old history, you can search it out if you want further info.

[Iggy]

Not to rain on any parade but why is this here in the Georgetown motorhome forum?
I think this should be move to a more suitable location.
What do you think?

[Rolling buckeye]

Originally Posted by Iggy

Not to rain on any parade but why is this here in the Georgetown motorhome forum?
I think this should be move to a more suitable location.
What do you think?

Might be mopargilly,has a v.10 in there Georgetown mh ? Juz say'n. truck reference,was the only experience I could share. Really ?

[mopargilley]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section I have a 2003 v-10 georgetown and know of people who have had this happen with as little as 40,000 miles just asking if any motorhome owners have suffered this?

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by mopargilley

Sorry if this is in the wrong section I have a 2003 v-10 georgetown and know of people who have had this happen with as little as 40,000 miles just asking if any motorhome owners have suffered this?

This is this the first I have heard about this here on this forum with Ford engine.
Do you have any information why it happens?
Seems it happens to lots of vehicles as other have mentionsed.

[mopargilley]

Heads only have 4 threads for the sparkplug to screw into.

[abjb]

Here's some interesting info from Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums from 2010.

Copied from
TECH folder - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Topic #4

"Spark plug thread and factory procedure changes.

After much hemming and hawing, I have decided to put this info in the tech folder. This is from a document that Ford provided to the NHTSA a few years back in 2005 in response to an investigation that was closed by the NHTSA because it was not deemed a "safety" issue. It was reviewed again in 2007 and again deemed to not be a safety issue because of the number of complains (total of 652 by 2007) versus the number of engines total (over 10,000,000).

My review of documents related to this (which I won't include here) show that after the model-year 2002 changes to a long-thread head, the 2003-2004 model-year shows a substantial reduction in plug blowouts. Of 652 complaints, NONE were shown to cause any damage to the hood, cause a fire, or a gas leak of any kind. Stalling was possible but again in very rare cases, and a restart was usually possible except in ONE case.

Running spark plug changes:

December 1996 - 4.6L 4V alignment feature added
February 1997 - 4.6L 2V head alignment feature added
September 2000 - WEP (Windsor Engine Plant) 2V head alignment feature modified (4.6/5.4/6.8)
November 2002 - WEP introduced long thread heads on 2V (all)
May 2003 - REP (Romeo Engine Plant) introduced long-thread heads on 4V 4.6 and 5.4
November 2003 - REP introduced long-thread heads on 2V and modified alignment feature

In 1999, and 2001, an interim fix was done for a cross-threading issue.
Original process:

Step 1 - Zero torque spark plug (air tool)
Step 2 - Torque to 16-20Nm final torque (DC Run down), monitor at 6-12Nm, and final torque must be reached within 0-360 degrees.

New process (addressed the possibility of applying installation torque for more than 25 degrees of rotation)
Step 1 - Zero torque spark plug (air tool)
Step 2 - Torque to 16-20Nm final torque (DC Run down) start monitor at 6-12Nm, and final torque must be reached within 3-25 degrees."

Additional V10 information:
From YouTube: 2004 to 2008 spark plug removal and install

[Iggy]

Thanks abjb for the videos.
Very informative

[cpaulsen]

Was common in the early 6.8/5.4 years.Got better in about 04-05. We had a few cars in the last 2 years with the 4.6 blowing a plug out also.